German Rote Grütze is a perfect dessert after any meal. It’s light and fruity, and the ingredients can be adjusted to your taste. I added orange peel, ground cinnamon, and cloves for a winter twist!
Table of Contents
Recipe
German Rote Grütze (German Red Berry Pudding)
- 300 ml orange juice
- 150 g frozen blueberries
- 150 g frozen raspberries
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 ground cinnamon
- 1/8 ground cloves
- 2 tsp starch
- 6 g grated orange peel Dr Oetker Finesse or fresh idea for serving
- vanilla ice cream idea for serving
- vanilla sauce idea for serving
- white chocolate cream idea for serving
- fresh mint leaves
- Pour the juice into a small pot, bring it to a boil and let it boil without a lid for around 10 minutes until the juice reduces itself by half.
- Add sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves to the pot. Stir well.
- Add frozen fruits, boil the mixture, and turn the heat to low immediately (otherwise, the berries will fall apart).
- Mix the starch and 3-4 tablespoons of warm juice from the pot in a small bowl or cup. Pour the mixture into the pot by stirring constantly.
- As soon as the mixture thickens, please remove it from the stove and set aside. When the mixture is cold, you can store it in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Serve your Grütze with cream or vanilla sauce and mint on the top. For the winter edition, you can add orange peel or Spekulatiuos.
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What is German Rote Grütze?
Rote Grütze is a sweet fruit dish and the perfect dessert for any celebration. It is typically made with a combination of red berries, such as raspberries, cherries and red currants.
To achieve the thick consistency, we use potato starch. In some recipes, you can find semolina and sago instead.
Where Rote Grütze comes from?
Rote Grütze (Red Berry Pudding) comes from Denmark and Northern Germany. Rote Grütze refers to using groat or grit in the traditional recipe.
How to make German Rote Grütze?
You don’t need particular skills to make Rote Grütze. It is one of the quickest and most straightforward desserts to make.
- Pour the juice into a small pot and bring it to a boil until it reduces by half.
- Stir in sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves.
- Add frozen fruits.
- Mix the starch and warm juice from the pot in a separate bowl to thicken the compote. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens, then remove it from the stove and set it aside.
What fruits to use for German Rote Grütze?
There are many different berries and fruits that you can use for Rote Grütze. I love using raspberries and blueberries. Traditionally, however, Rote Grütze was also made with redcurrant and blackcurrant.
Feel free to add to your Grütze following fruits:
- strawberries
- raspberries
- blueberries
- bilberries
- redcurrant
- blackcurrant
- blackberries
- cherries
- rhubarb
- plums
- apples
- pears
- pineapple
- kiwi
- gooseberries
- apricots
If you are making Grütze with different kinds of fruits, be aware of their cooking time and keep adding them to the pot accordingly. Otherwise, you end up with a mash instead of a porridge.
German Rote Grütze with a Christmas Twist
For the winter edition of the Rote Grütze, I decided to use spices that we use in the wintertime. I ended up adding orange peel, cloves and cinnamon. I also cooked the berries in orange juice instead of water for the winter twist.
How to thicken German Rote Grütze?
We use potato starch to thicken Rote Grütze. However, you cannot add potato starch directly to the pot with the red berry compote, as this will create clumps. The best way to thicken rote Grütze is to put the potato starch into a small bowl and mix it with the warm juice from the pot. As soon as your mixture is smooth, add it to the pot and keep stirring until the compote thickens.
How to serve German Rote Grütze?
Rote Grütze is usually served cold. Because of the intense flavour of Rote Grütze, it goes well with sweet, creamy sauces and ice cream. Below are a few delicious ways to serve Rote Grütze:
- vanilla sauce
- vanilla ice cream
- white chocolate cream
- whipped cream
- custard
- mint leaves
- nut brittle
- orange peel
- Spekulatius
| Sauces & Creams | Toppings |
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Tools that might come in handy
How to storage German Rote Grütze?
Due to its high liquid content, red groats are ideal for freezing and storing in the freezer. This means it can even last for several months. It’s best to bring the red currant to a boil thawing and before serving.
German Rote Grütze - Variations
If we think outside the box, Rote Grütze can be made with all kinds of fruits, not just berries. In German supermarkets, you can find many different variations of Rote Grütze. The most popular are:
- Green Grütze – made with kiwi, apple, gooseberries, and rhubarb
- Blaue Grütze – made with blackberries, bilberries, plums and blackcurrant
- Yellow Grütze – made with apricots, yellow gooseberries, bananas, gold kiwifruit
- Kirschgrütze – made with cherries only
- Pflaumengrütze – made with plums only
- Erdbeer Rhabarber Grütze – made with strawberries and rhubarb
- Wintergrütze – made with apples and pears
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